Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Gray County, Kansas

55 tornadoes have crossed Gray County since 1950, 28th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 3. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes: 55
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 3
F4 and above: 0
Worst on record: EF3, November 16, 2015

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Gray County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

Year	Tornadoes	Injuries	Strongest
2021	2		EF2
2019	2		EF1
2018	1		EF0
2016	1		EF0
2015	10		EF3
2011	1		EF0
2010	6		EF0
2009	2		EF0
2008	1		EF0
2007	2		EF1
2006	2		F0
2005	4		F0
2002	1		F0
2000	1		F0
1996	4		F3
1995	4	3	F3
1993	1		F0
1990	1		F1
1982	1		F2
1981	1		F1
1980	1		F1
1978	1		F2
1976	1		F1
1965	1		F0
1958	1		F0
1956	1		F0
1955	1		F2

Every tornado that crossed Gray County

55 tornadoes, newest first.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
October 12, 2021	10:02 PM CDT	EF1	Gray	1.9	75
March 13, 2021	9:22 PM CST	EF2	Gray	12.2	100		$10,000
May 26, 2019	10:49 PM CDT	EF1	Gray	0.7	25		$60,000
May 6, 2019	9:17 PM CDT	Unrated	Gray	4.7	50
May 29, 2018	4:44 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	4.1	100
August 29, 2016	6:12 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.2	50
November 16, 2015	6:55 PM CST	EF2	Gray	14.9	500
November 16, 2015	5:38 PM CST	EF3	Seward	51.3	2,000
June 29, 2015	6:00 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.2	50
June 22, 2015	7:08 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.6	50
May 27, 2015	7:33 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	1.0	75
May 24, 2015	10:47 PM CDT	EF1	Meade	13.2	800
May 7, 2015	4:02 PM CDT	EF1	Gray	0.2	50		$40,000
May 7, 2015	4:01 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.2	50
May 7, 2015	4:00 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.3	50
May 7, 2015	4:00 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.2	50
May 24, 2011	3:34 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.4	50
May 19, 2010	7:03 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.4	50
May 19, 2010	6:57 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.2	30
May 19, 2010	6:26 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.3	30
May 19, 2010	5:56 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.5	50
May 19, 2010	5:48 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.1	30
May 19, 2010	5:48 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.2	30
April 18, 2009	1:29 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.7	100
April 18, 2009	12:57 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.5	50
May 23, 2008	5:24 PM CDT	EF0	Gray	0.7	100
March 28, 2007	8:14 PM CDT	EF1	Gray	10.4	200		$160,000
March 28, 2007	7:42 PM CDT	EF1	Meade	13.5	125		$78,000
October 26, 2006	4:05 PM CDT	F0	Gray	2.3	30
October 26, 2006	3:50 PM CDT	F0	Gray	0.5	30
October 19, 2005	4:42 PM CDT	F0	Gray	0.2	30
April 5, 2005	3:35 PM CDT	F0	Gray	0.3	20
April 5, 2005	3:27 PM CDT	F0	Gray	2.6	75
April 5, 2005	3:20 PM CDT	F0	Gray	3.1	100
June 10, 2002	6:05 PM CDT	F0	Gray	0.3	30
October 27, 2000	6:13 PM CDT	F0	Gray	0.2	80
September 18, 1996	5:55 PM CDT	F0	Gray	2.5	30
May 26, 1996	5:20 PM CDT	F1	Gray	3.0	50		$70,000
May 26, 1996	5:15 PM CDT	F1	Gray	10.0	400		$850,000
May 26, 1996	4:35 PM CDT	F3	Haskell	28.0	900		$2.0 million
May 16, 1995	5:50 PM CDT	F0	Finney	1.0	500
May 16, 1995	5:40 PM CDT	F0	Finney	2.0	100
May 15, 1995	9:20 PM CDT	F3	Gray	6.0	900	3	$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 1995	9:15 PM CDT	F2	Gray	3.0	300		$50,000 to $500,000
April 30, 1993	8:27 PM CDT	F0	Gray	0.1	10
April 25, 1990	3:30 PM CDT	F1	Gray	25.0	50		$5,000 to $50,000
March 18, 1982	11:30 PM CST	F2	Haskell	48.0	67		$50,000 to $500,000
May 16, 1981	5:25 PM CDT	F1	Haskell	32.3	50		$50,000 to $500,000
May 28, 1980	7:15 PM CDT	F1	Meade	27.6	10
May 30, 1978	6:30 PM CDT	F2	Finney	31.9	17		$50,000 to $500,000
April 14, 1976	7:30 PM CST	F1	Seward	73.2	50		$50,000 to $500,000
May 25, 1965	4:30 PM GMT-5	F0	Gray	0.1	10
June 12, 1958	7:45 PM GMT-5	F0	Gray	0.1	10
May 30, 1956	7:30 PM GMT-5	F0	Gray	0.1	100
July 13, 1955	7:30 PM GMT-5	F2	Gray	0.3	10		$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Gray County The forecast for Gray County The live radar over Gray County Every county in Kansas

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.